Automatic intermittent coupling.



0. TRO G.

AUTOMATIC INTERMITTENT COUPLING.

APPLIGATION FILED JULY 18, 1910.

Patented Oct. 24, 1911.

. leaves Z1 ITD STAS CARL TROG, OF BIELEFELD, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR T0COMPANY ANKER-WERKE A. G. VORMALS HENGSTENIBERG & 00., OF IBIELEFELD,PRUSSIA, GERMANY.

AUTOMATIC INTERMITTENT COUPLING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 24, 1911.

Application filed July 18, 1910. Serial No. 572,481.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARL TRoG, a subject of the King of Prussia, andresident of Bielefeld, in the Province of WVestpha-lia, German Empire,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in AutomaticIntermittent Couplings, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in and relating to automaticintermittent couplings and more particularly to such couplings of thekind described in the specification of my prior Letters Patent No.910609.

The principal object of this invention is to increase the rate ofoperation of the automatic machine to which the coupling 'is connected.To this end the coupling is so constructed that when the automaticmachine is required to perform the same function several times inimmediate succession the coupling remains closed during the whole seriesof operations and upon the machine being automaticallv stopped isimmediately thrown out of gear without necessitatin the simult-aneousstoppage of the motor.

In carrying this invention into efi'ect a slotted member rigidly securedto the driven shaft is connected to a driving member, which may becontinuously rotated, by coupling levers which are pivoted on a diskconnected to the driven shaft by a spring device and adapted to open thecoupling. The arrangement being such that when the disk is preventedfrom rotating the coupling levers by their movement in the somewhatoverrunning slotted member are drawn out of engagement with the drivingfaces of the driving member whereas when the disk is unlocked thecoupling levers are again put into contact with the driving faces on thedriving member under the influence of the spring device which connectsthe driven shaft with the disk carrying the coupling levers.

As an example a suitable construction for carrying the subject matter ofthe present invention into effect is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawing, Figure 1 being a lon gitudinal section, Fig. 2 a section on theline AB of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 an end view looking in the direction ofthe arrow in Fig. 1. Fig. 4: is a sectional end view of Fi 1.

Iieferring to the drawings 1 is a shaft to be driven, upon which adriven star shaped or slotted member 3 is rigidly secured. Between theslotted member 3 and an adjustable collar 13 there is freely mountedupon the shaft 1 a driving member or disk 2. In the constructionillustrated the driving member or disk 2 is shown formed as aworm-wheel. Loosely mounted upon the extended boss of the driven memberor disk 3 is another disk 4 carrying on the side adjacent to the slottedmember 3 symmetrically arranged coupling levers 7 rotatable about pivotpins 6 secured to the disk 4. The coupling levers 7 each carry at thefree end a pin 8, upon which is mounted a roller 9 which can swing in acorresponding slot 14 in the slotted member 3, the sides of said slot 14forming an abutment for the roller 9. The driving disk 2 is formed onthe inner side with a series of eccentric surfaces which in the positionshown in Fig. 2 lie in advance of the rollers 9. On the side of the disk4 which is the more remote from the slotted member 3 there is arranged astop 5 which is adapted to cooperate with a lever 12, as shown in Fig.3. A spring 10 is wound on the boss of the disk 4 having one endconnected to the disk 1 by a screw 24 and the other end connected to thedriven shaft 1 by means of a screw 16 passing through a slot 17 in theboss of the disk 4 and screwed into the shaft 1. The object of thisspring is to provide a constant opposing force between the disk 2 andthe slotted member 3 so that the latter is always subjected to a forcetending to move it in a direct-ion opposite to the direction of rotationof the coupling. In the absence of the spring 10 the slots 15 in theslotted member 3 into which the coupling levers 7 with theirpivot pins 6project, would permit of a free lost motion to the extent of the widthof the slots minus the diameter of the boss of the coupling levers. Onthe other hand as will be described later the slots 15 are necessary forthe proper working of the coupling.

The working of the coupling according to the present invention is asfollows :-The driving disk 2 is caused to rotate by the driving deviceof the automatic machine or cash register, for instance by a motor, whenthe eccentric projections remain in advance of the rollers 9 on thecoupling levers 7. The rollers 9 are constrained to roll in the slots14- outward so that the slotted member 3 and the driving disk 2 arecoupled together,

in consequence of which the driven shaft 1 is caused to rotate. When thecoupling is to be opened the lever 12 is moved into the path of the stop5, whereupon the disk 4: with its coupling levers 7 will be stopped. Theslotted member owing to its momentum will however continue to rotate asfar as the clearance w between the boss on a coupling lever 7 and thewall of the slot 15 permits, thus increasing the tension of the spring10. As the pressure on the rollers 9 exerted by the eccentricprojections on the driving disk continues the rollers 9 are unable tofollow the movement of rotation as the coupling levers 7 are connectedto the arrested disk 1. In consequence the rollers 9 yield to thepressure exerted by the inner surfaces of the driving disk 2 and rollinward in the slots 1a of the slotted member 3. As the driving disk 2continues to revolve the projections pass around the slotted memberwithout effect. When the coupling is to be closed again the lever 12 isremoved from the path of movement of the stop 5. The disk 4: thus freedpartially rotates under the influence of the spring wound up by theprevious further movement of the slotted member 3 with respect to theshaft 1, until it has reached the position above referred to. Inconsequence of this the rollers 9 on the coupling levers 7 of the disk tmove in the slots 14 outward into the path of the eccentric projectionson the driving disk 2 whereby the shaft 1 is again rotated.

I claim 1. The combination with a shaft to be driven of a disk, acoupling lever pivoted on said disk, a slotted member provided with anabutment for the free end of said coupling lever and fixed on saidshaft, a driving member, an abutment on said driving member for the freeend of said coupling lever, a spring device adapted to connect said diskwith said shaft and tending to rotate said disk in a direction oppositeto that of said driving member so as to normally hold the free end ofsaid coupling lever between the abutment on said slotted member, andthat on said driving member, and meansfor arresting the motion of saiddisk as and when desired, whereby when said disk is arrested, saidcoupling lever can rotate about its pivot clear of the abutment on saiddriving member.

2. The combination with a shaft to be driven of a disk, a series ofcoupling levers pivoted on said disk, a slotted member provided with anabutment for the free end of said coupling levers, and fixed on saidshaft, a driving member, an abutment on said driving member for the freeend of each of said coupling levers, a spring device adapted to connectsaid disk with said shaft and tending to rotate said disk in a directionopposite to that of said driving member so as to normally hold the freeends of said coupling levers between the abutments on said slottedmember and those on said driving member, and means for arresting themotion of said disk asand when desired, whereby when said disk isarrested, said coupling levers can rotate about their pivots clear ofthe abutments on said driving member.

3. The combination with a shaft to be driven of a disk, a series ofcoupling levers pivoted on said disk, rollers mounted on the free endsof said levers, a slotted member provided with an abutment for each ofsaid rollers and fixed on said shaft, a driving member, a circularseries of eccentric surfaces on said driving member adapted to form anabutment for each of said rollers, a spring device adapted to connectsaid disk with said shaft and tending to rotate said disk in a directionopposite to that of said driving member so as to normally hold saidrollers between the abutments on said slotted member and those on saiddriving member, means for normally arresting the motion of said disk andfor freeing said disk when and as long as required, whereby when saiddisk is arrested, said levers can rotate on their pivots so that saidrollers clear the abutments on said driving member.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twowitnesses. CARL TROG. WVitnesses OTTO SANBURG, RI. Br'iLow.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

